Webster davis



No. 524457. Patented May 9, i899 M. D. CUNVERSE.

CORK EXTBACTUR. ,iA ucmon med July 12, 1893.)

(NO Model.)

No. 624,457. Patented May 9, I899.

m. n. couvsnsg. CORK EXTRACTOB.

(Application filed July 12, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

No. 624,457. Patented May 9, I899.-

m. n. comvsnsai coax EXTRACTOR.-

. lAppljcation filed July 12, 1898.) (R0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

? rvrrno rA'rns ATENT Fries.

MASCHIL D. CONVERSE, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

CORK=EXTRACTOFL FEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,457, dated May 9, 1899.

7 Application fi ed July 12, 1898? Serial No. 685,724. (No model) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAsc-HIL D. CONVERSE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cork-Extractors, of which the following is a specification.

Cork extractors have been made with prongs which in use are inserted next the inner sides of the neck of the bottle on opposite sides of the cork by pressure to embrace the latter. It is to this class of cork-exiractors that my present invention relates. In this type of cork-extractors heretofore various devices have been employed to adapt the prongs to operate on corks of different diameters, involving more or less complication,

consequent costliness of manufacture, and liability to derangement or breakage, and in all the flat external plane surfaces of the blades or prongs have been arranged at right angles to the longitudinal axis or plane of the handle, so that it is inconvenient to adjust the prongs astride the cork.

The objects of my present invention are to overcome these several disadvantages, to cheapen the cost of manufacture, and to provide a cork-extractor of the type described that will be durable and that may be expeditionsly used, all of which I accomplish by means of the devices, combinations, and arrangement of parts and the forms of their construction hereinafter fully described and claimed, wherein it will be found that my invention consists chiefly in first arranging the flat plane sides of the tapering prongs in planes parallel to the axis of the handle; sec- 0nd, in improved means of securin g the prongs tothehandle and in certain other particulars.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional. View on linear x of Fig. 2, showing construction and form of my invention in part; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of Fig. 1 on lines .2, with prongs shown in full,

further showing construction and form of my' invention. Fig. 3 is a'full bottom-side view of the handle, further showing the formof construction of this part of my invention. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-scetion (similar to Fig. 2) on line .2 z of Fig. 1, showing method of assembling and the manner of operation of parts of my invention relating to the manufacture. Figs. 5 and 6 (partly sectional) show the application of my improved corkextraetor and the operation of features'thereof. Figs. 7 and 8 (partly sectional) further show the operation and adaptation of features,

may be of any desired external conformation,

having a circular recess B milled into its under side mid waybetween its ends and at right angles to its longitudinal axis to form asocket for the reception of a tubular sleeve-shank G and provided with two flattened sides a a (seen clearly in Fig. 3) on the lateral sides of the core D, forming seats for the butt-ends of the prongs b b, respectively, said prongs having the extreme ends of their butts turned sharplyinward at c c, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, to be forced into thewood of the handle when manufactured to insure their stability. Referring to Fig. 4, the operation of this part of myinvention is as follows: lhe respective parts having been constructed as shown, are assembled by dropping the butts of the prongs b b into the recess B, respectively at the flattened sidesia a of the core D, as shown.

have shown in Fig. 9, .where instead of leav-' ing a core in the handle A a hole large enough to receive the tubular sleeve-shank 0 very snugly is bored in the side of the handle, right aug. .arly to the longitudinal axis or plane thereof. The turned edges 0 c on the prongs b b are bent outward, and a separate core I) of wood or other suitable substance of the same form and dimensions as the core D is driven in through the open end of the sleeve- .30 been unprovided for.

shank C to the bottom of the hole,whieh forces the said turned edges c outwardly under the inner edge of the sleeve-shank into the wood of the handle, as seen.

5 It will be seen that I arrange the flattened plane sides of the prongs Z) Z) in planes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle A. It will also be seen that for a part of their length I curve the protruding ends outward l0 awayfrom each other, (shown distinctly at ff in Figs. 2, i, and 9,) and it will-further be seen by Figs. 2, i, 5, G, '7, S, and J that I bevel the working ends of the prongs b I) from the inside to form sharp chisel edges 9 g,

I 5 respectively, on the outer edges and flush with the other sides thereof. The purposes of these several devices will respectively appear in the following description of operation. The handle of my improved cork-extractor is grasped in the hand in the manner shown by Fig. 5. As I have arranged the prongs Z) Z) in planes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle A the flat external side of prong Z) is consequently within ready reach of the ball of the index-finger and the flat external side of the prong b is likewise presented to the ball of the thumb, whereby the said prongsmay be manipulated with great facility,which in this type of cork-extractors has heretofore 1f the cork to be withdrawn overhangs the mouth of the bottle, the outwardly-beveled sharp chisel edges 9 g, being placed as shown in Fig. 5, will by reason .lpf the sole of the same as they are forced 5 ;down out their way promptly outwardly to opposite sides of the cork, as shown by Fig. 6, and go down between the surfaces of the cork and bottle-neck, whereas if the prongs were not beveled from the inside outwardly they would pierce the body of the cork and fail to perform their functions, and, furthermore, if the extreme chisel-shaped cutting edges were made to project beyond the vertical plane surface of the adjacent outer flat 5 sides of the prongs'thcy would by hearing against the interior of the bottle-neck press the prongs away from the same and unduly embed the prongs into the cxteriorlatcral surface of the cork, with consequent liability to force the cork into the bottle.

Figs. 7 and 8 show how by reason of the described arrangement of the prongs in the handle the points g g are made conveniently accessible to and may by the thumb and [in- 5; ger be pressed together and promptly adjusted to stride varying sizes of corks.

The prongs are most readily inserted to place byrocking the instrument from side to side in the direction alternately of the prongs 6o 1) I), respectively,1pressing down firmly,which operation is possible by reason of the employment of thin elastic steel for the prongs and mounting the same in a tubular sleeve-shank. To withdraw the cork, rotate and pull on the handle gently.

The prongs I) b I make from tough but very elastic thin steel, as stated, and by curving their working ends from a point midway their length considerably outward from each other and stopping off the core D, so as to leave the interior of the projecting end of the sleeveshank open or hollow to provide greater length of elasticity for the prongs,.they readily follow the neck of the bottle, even though the line may be wavy, and are thereby further rendered equally well adapted for corks of large or small diameter.

' loncerning the leading feature of my inventionviz., the arrangement of the external fiat sides of two cork-embracing prongs each in planes parallel to the longitudinal plane of the handle, so that saidflat sides shall be conveniently accessible to the thumb and finger of the operator, as shown-J do not limit myself to the precise means described for securing these prongs in such positions, as other means might be employed without departing from the spirit of this part of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cork-extractor, in combinatioma handlo,a circularrccess right angularly therein, a core, flattened surfaces on opposite sides of said core with the planesof said flattened surfacesarrangedparallel to the longitudinal plane of said handle, a tubular sleeve-shank and-two cork-embracing prongs, fixed within said sleeve-shank on the said flattened sub faces of said cork, respectively provided with turned edges at the butt-ends thereof in engagement with said handle, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

2. In a cork-extractor, in combination, a handle, a hole right angularly therein,a tubn-' lar sleeve-shank entered in said hole, an insertible core securely fixed in said handle'and bottom of said sleeve-shank, two fixed-corkembracing prongs, respectively provided with turned edges at the butt-ends thereof in en.- gagement with said handle, said prongs arranged so that the flattened plane sides thereof are parallel to the longitudinal plane of the handle, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

In a cork-extractor, a handle and two flat cork-embracing prongs secured thereto with their flattened plane sides permanently arranged parallel to the longitudinal plane of said handle, substantially as and for the pur- I poses set forth.

4. In a cork-extractor, a handle having a socket therein, and a tubular sleeve-shank of substantially uniform interior diameter throughout its depth extending from and secured within said socket, in combination with two thin, ilexible cork-embracing prongs rigidly fixed in said handle at the base of and within said sleeve-shank on opposite sides thereof, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a cork-extractor of the type described, a suitable handle, a socket within the same,

a, tubular s1eevo-shank secured within and hollow portion to provide greater length of projecting from said socket, the interior of elasticity for said prongs, as set forth.

the projeetin' portion of which is hollow for .a-distance coiisiderably above and from the M CONVERSE 5 outer end, and two thin, fiexib1eeork-embrac- Witnesses:

ing prongs secured within andadjaeents to 0p- PAUL GORHAM,

posits sides of said sleeve-shank above said DWIGHT W. DE MOTTE."

Correction in Letters Patent No Cork-Extractors, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction;

I the application of Maschil D. Converse, I

.J, the word cork should read core; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 8th day of August, A. D., 1899.

'EBSTER DAVIS, i-lssistan Secrekuy of the Interior.

I EA L.]

Countm'signed:

A. P. GREE'LEY,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

